Overture
by JuniperScaymoore
Summary: Prequel to "My Warning? Don't Fall in Love!" planned to have three acts, an intermission, and a fourth and fifth? act. Read after Don't Fall in Love. Not officially part of series.


**Irashaiimasen, to the wonderful world of WRITER'S BLOCK! At least, I had it on my sequel, so to take it away, I made a prequel. Enjoy! The plan is for this to have three 'Acts' (but many scenes!), and I will have funnn… xDDD**

**Writer's block is gone now, but my sequel is going to take a while (You'll see it late summer if I delay that much.)**

**Hatori Bisco owns Ouran. I own Sakura, Ryuu, and the showbiz world in which they revolve around. X3**

**You will soon understand, young minnow. =]**

Words to know:

Watashi no = My

Omedetou=Congratulations

Musume = Daughter

Kumano = Bear

Overture, Act I—The World I Live In.

_My life is a play, don't you think? To my parents, I am not a book in entirety, merely a coversheet to something more. I may be the eldest of the two Hanabi children, but as a girl, I will not be anything once I reach a certain age. There is a limit on usefulness it seems, and mine is very, very short._

The stage opens with myself in the spotlight. My mother is speaking, and I am listening, with nothing but a blank stare on my face. It is alright, do not worry, I have already been like this for three years and yet, she still does not notice. I suppose my detachment is so well hidden that even my mother cannot tell. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

"Watashi no musume, your job tonight is to make merry. We are celebrating the success of Hanabi Enterprises, so you must do your best to entertain the guests. Do not fail. Your brother will not be attending. This is possible only because of the hard work your father and I had to go through to feed and clothe you." I nodded. How long had it been since an event had appeared? I can only guess. The last time I was not old enough to participate, like my brother is today.

"Musume, you have my permission today to make a few friends. However, only be friends with those that can benefit your parent's wealth. Do not do anything unnecessary—it will bring misery upon your parents for sure." I bowed stiffly and left the room. I was old enough to recognize a dismissal when I heard one.

_The lights grow dim, the first scene is over. However, the first act has just begun._

I walked by myself, clutching a teddy bear, imported from the United States. An antique. Yes, it was a special collector's item given to me by my mother for passing my first audition. I think it was more of a cute item than a reward, more of an image-booster than an actual gift for me. However, I didn't care. Kuma-san was mine, and I picked him up as I walked through the clean marble halls. I heard laughter in the dining hall, champagne flowing from bottles, wine sloshing in fine glasses imported from Italy. Passing among the adults, I smiled, nodded, and aided several people discreetly to the bathroom. I was the prefect child, no mistake about that.

Of course, that small duty finished, I set out to find some children. Trundling over to the garden, I looked for anyone I would recognize, but I did not seem to know a single child in that garden. My mother was not very lenient when it came to leisurely activities. I spotted two girls by the cherry blossom tree, my favorite spot in the enormous garden. I approached them, outer mask ready. "Hello," I said, shyly, asking the girls if I could join them. They were hesitant, but agreed, and we looked on an adorable digital gadget that one girl's father had invented. That was no good; these people didn't fit Hanabi E's criteria. **(What does this mean? E's criteria?)** Still, I didn't want to leave just yet. I had made friends! However, they must not have thought so. When someone asked me to get some juice, I gladly agreed, yet when I came back, both girls were gone.

Climbing up the tree, past the cherry blossoms, I disappeared into an alcove of comfort. This was my private haven of peaceful quiet. "Kuma-san, I am going to be scolded by Mother again." I buried my face into my bear, my hollow smile gone at last.

I heard a noise, but I wasn't quite sure what it was. I peeked downwards to see a child about my age. I stared at him silently through the safety of my flowers, wondering who he was. He loosened his tie, sighing heavily as if the formal attire didn't suit him at all. At this point I must have ruffled some of the leaves in the tree, for he looked upwards, sensing a person's presence on a windless night. His harsh and petrifying glare softened, and he spoke quietly to me.

"You can come down, if you want. I don't believe I am going to harm you."

I clambered down after a moment's hesitation, but then took a sharp intake of air. This child was beautiful. He was tall, and came with a certain grace that I didn't recall seeing in other children before. His dark brown eyes went well with his raven black hair, and his soft smile was unmistakably beautiful.

_The stage is set, the protagonist ready. I am meeting with... could it be? Yes, in this play, this handsome man acts the part of my first love._

His name was Ryuu. A year older than I, and with delight I found that we were enrolled in the same school. That night, we talked about a lot of things, and he made me so happy that I smiled a true smile. I was content, sitting under that cherry blossom tree, loving everything in the world, not even afraid of my mother. Yet, that was ignorance. After a while, he said he had to leave. I curtsied, contrary as you please, and walked him to the door of my castle. Waving goodbye, I realized with a shock that I did not think to ask his last name. Mother would surely scold me if he turned out to be someone of less than standard caliber.

Still, I don't believe I cared.

_Ah, it is over, the first scene, yet, Act I is still very much underway, is it not? Enjoy the performance, because it surely will bring tears to the eye._

His full name was Owatari Ryuu; the Owatari's was a famous traditional Japanese dancing family. Knowing that my mother approved of him only made my head spin more. That day, at school, I was sitting in class during break time, gazing blankly at the bought lunch I was eating. I heard his voice, and my head spun to the doorway, where he was, laughing and teasing me. I pouted, pretending to be offended, even if I wasn't really. I invited him in, but he invited me out, and we went into the courtyard to eat. I laughed at his jokes, and it seemed that for once, someone was listening to the words I spoke. I hadn't even thought that this guy could be bad.

The next few weeks of my life were the best I had ever experienced. Everyday, even though I knew Ryuu was very busy and very popular amongst the female students at my school, he would always find some excuse to spend his break time with me, who ate lunch at that time. I always ate all of my lunch as Ryuu joked about some interesting thing he had noticed during class or a near escape from a teacher when he got to school late. It was about a month after our daily routine had started when Ryuu made a casual remark. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it, but it seems that this is what caused my problem...

"Ne, Sakura-chan, you always eat a lot of food! That's amazing, you know, especially since you're a model? Don't you worry about getting fat? I suppose though, at your young age, you can burn off fat really easily, huh?"

_Stop. That's exactly where it all went wrong. Looking back, it was my fault that his comment got to me, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't entirely to blame. Owatari Ryuu, strike one._

After that, I didn't have much of an appetite anymore. I noticed how much thinner the other children of my age were; even at eight I discovered certain pleasure that I had found a goal. My goal was to become so thin, then I would be 'beautiful'.

_That is the end of scene two. The rest of the act is still well underway, but I will no longer keep score. The lead male has taken up his role, and the female is getting too caught up in hers. Shall we enter the next main character?_

During the next few dinner parties my family held, I only knew about Ryuu. Ryuu, who would play with me whenever I felt lonely, and with Ryuu at my side, I no longer needed anyone else. At least, that was what I thought.

One winter night, I had already turned nine, and Ryuu had invited my entire family over to a party at his mansion. If I, in my childish imagination, once thought my house to be a castle, then his house had to be the estates of a prince. However, I no longer thought that way, and all I knew of it was that it was so much larger than mine had ever seemed. I closed my eyes, and remembered the briefing my mother had given me once more.

"Watashi no Musume, again you are here for an important task. Daughter, know your father and I have been very pleased with your friendship of the Owatari son. However, do not think that it is enough anymore. I expect you to make another 'friend' today, and make sure that his influence is even greater than the Owatari's were." I did not speak. I did not question. I did what she asked. Ryuu might have made my life brighter, but externally, I was still as blank as the face of a monk on Mount Fuji. The only difference was that I was prettier.

Ryuu led me up the stairways to his room, where he pushed me onto a chair. "Sit there, Sakura-chan," he said sternly. "You are my honored guest after all, and I don't want you wandering off!" He disappeared for a while, leaving me a bit frantic, but in the end, he came back with another boy. I noticed that this boy's face was not also just a blank smile, but a cold and calculating stare that followed one's person. Ryuu introduced him as Ootori Kyouya; I didn't like him. Pouting and hiding behind Ryuu, I whined, "Ryuu-nii-chan, what's he doing here?"

Ryuu smiled and said, "Ootori-kun is the same age as you, Sakura-chan. His family is currently doing business with mine, so please; I leave him in your care." I liked the idea of being the boss of another, so I agreed. Besides, anything that Ryuu asked me, I would do.

_Now that the character has been introduced, let us learn more about him!_

Ryuu had gone off again, to who knows where, leaving me next to Kyouya. I was startled when he spoke, a smile on his face that I knew to be superficial. "Good evening, Hanabi-san. Is it true that you are one of the most influential models in Hanabi Enterprises? I suppose you would be, considering that your family owns this business." I looked curiously at him, and sharply rebuked his words.

"No, I am still quite a novice in the modeling world, though my name has come up a bit more often. I regret to inform you that my own work is none of my family's doing other than promotional issues. I have come to my status by hard work." I almost added under my breath, "Not only because my father pays attention to my little brother, and my mother believes that I am no good at all." Sometimes, I just had to bite back my tongue. All Kyouya did was nod, but I remembered my mother's mission. I did recognize the Ootori name, so I was right to presume that Kyouya was above Ryuu in status. I studied his facial expression, when he gave a start.

"Hanabi-san, we should become friends. There is merit in my relationship with you, and by your expressions and actions, you believe that there is merit as well. In a way, we can forge ties between two different industries, and benefit both of our families." I nodded, for this was the one reason I would become friends with such a cold person. In response, I worked out my end of the agreement.

"I suppose then I should act more affectionately to you. You as well; call me Sakura-chan! This way it will seem like we are close." He nodded. Then, we began to talk—of course, it was only for the sake of our 'friendship', but it was interesting enough. I found out that he had two older brothers. So he was the youngest of his family, and I was the oldest in mine. I shared my frustrations at my brother, and he shared the futile emotion he carried each day. By the time Ryuu came back with some punch, I was as casual with Kyouya as I was with any other of my friends. Of course, that meant only Ryuu, but still, it was nice to laugh freely with another of my age.

Ryuu was very surprised to see us this way. He had thought both of us to be hostile to each other because of my attachment to him, I think. I didn't realize his strange way of thinking until much later, but I know for sure, if I had known before, my life would be entirely different.

_This scene has come to an end, and now we break for a few minutes. In play time, it is merely a change of scenery. In story time, it has been a while. Did you miss me?_

I am eleven, and in fifth grade. Ryuu was in middle school at the time, and I only met him on my weekends off, which were few and far between. Every time I saw him though, he would always compliment me in a fury of flattering. "Ah, Sakura-chan, you look so skinny!" and "Sakura-chan, I saw your advertisement on the streets of Tokyo! Omedetou!" I was extremely pleased with myself when he said these words, so I tried very hard to get more work. Kyouya already knew all that was going on in my life because as 'friends' he would come over my house and vice versa. At first, our acting was merely that—acting, but after a time, we became very close.

My schedule was hectic, usually starting early in the morning for a quick two to three hour work, then school. Kyouya and I also went to different schools, so I was pretty much alone during that annoying time. During my breaks, I would study previous model poses and work on adding my style, since the breaks were just too short to do any work in between them. After school, however, I went to a dancing class for two hours, and then had a window of five hours for any advertising or magazine covers that I had received. Afterwards, because I had little time to do my homework, I would go to Kyouya's house for a private tutoring session.

I had grown to cherish those times with him, alone. Not because I liked him in the slightest, but because this, out of all the things I did, was routine. Even school would come second to work, and for that, I held highly in my mind the times when Kyouya and I worked together without worries and burdens. I like to think that it was a safe haven for the both of us.

_Now again, we move ahead in the plot, for there are not many words that could describe the monotonous life I lead. As sure as there are stars in the sky, yes, every day was something different, but the uniformity was nothing of the outside world. Rather, it was me, and I can say with assurance that even this had become no surprise to a veteran of repetitively._

_Now we move forwards in time.._

_Faster..._

_Faster..._

_**Faster.**_

_Each day is going by quicker._

_No, they pass so slowly!_

_What is happening?_

_Why am I feeling so weak?_

_I am running._

_Running from what?_

_I don't know._

_I'm afraid, everything is strange._

_No new work today._

_No new anything today._

_I feel empty._

_Empty…_

_Empty…_

_Empty… Empty…_

Three years have passed between my last memory and this one. I wake up in a hospital bed, a tiny, delicate line holding my soul down to my body. If I looked in a mirror, I would see someone so thin, so frail that only a ghost could rival it. I feel weak, and for the first time in my life, I want to do something to change it.

I hear movement next to my bed, and two very familiar voices ring in my ears. I feign sleep, much like an actor. Yes, even in times like these, phrases from my work appear in my mind.

"Why are you here?" The first voice, sharp, clear, soft, yet deadly.

"Isn't it natural for me to visit a very dear friend of mine?" The second voice replies, bold and calm, demure and confident.

"It would be, if this had been the first or second hour of her entry. Three days, she is in a coma still, and you come with an extravagant bouquet, humbly as you please."

"I believe that she would benefit greatly from seeing her 'nii-chan' had thought of her. Flowers are no good if they wilt, as you know. Besides, I am not as free as you are that I may drop all my business at the slightest touch."

"She thinks too highly of you." This was snarled, and I shivered, wondering if it was true.

"And yet you used to as well."

"This much is true, but now there are things I simply cannot forgive you for."

Things he could not forgive him for… I wondered what they could be. For sure, I knew each of these voices, and the one who was hated so, I knew to be gentle and kind…

As the voices continued, I struggled to hear, for now their voices grew soft, dangerous like, and I felt no warmth from the two closest to me.

"I know of no crimes I have committed; my name is famed far across the seven seas for being a charming, eloquent speaker."

"And yet you let her come down to this. Though I have no evidence that you caused her condition, I have a strong feeling behind it."

"What? A few words here and there to help her career, I was merely giving her advice-who knew that she would take it to such an extent?"

"You would! I said nothing hoping you, of all people would change her. You! You, who she looks up to more than anyone in the world, you, who are dearer to her than her own parents! Did you notice that she was getting thinner? That she would skip meals, that she constantly had nervous fits? Or did you not? Did you never notice that the one person, who believed herself to be closest to you, could have such a serious eating disorder?"

At this, to my disheartened realization, there was no response. As soft as the whispers in the wind, I heard my friend say it so.

"Either way, it is unforgivable."

The door opens, and footsteps patter away. I moan, tired of being strapped to a bed, and I try to sit up where I am. I look to my side. Kyouya is right there. He acts demure, a clipboard in his hand, pencil in the other. He wears a doctor's coat, and I know I am in an Ootori hospital. I look around. Except for a wilting rose in a clear glass vase, and the bouquet left by the other visitor, my room is empty. I can only say that that emptiness reflected in my soul.

Kyouya, pausing for a second, walks over to my bed and sits down. No urgent expression on his face, he asked me how I felt and if I needed anything. I confessed to be dehydrated, so within a minute he had brought over a bottle of water. We chat for a while, and I play along as well, pretending that nothing scared me, waking up in a hospital bed. Nothing, no, nothing was wrong.

When it gets late, Kyouya replies that he needs to go home, and lonely as I am, I let him go. I have to spend the night here, but discharge will be possible tomorrow, he says. Lying down to sleep, I note silently that in the three hours we have been talking, he never once appeared.

Ryuu, where did you go?

_In case you didn't notice, which I don't think you were, I said once that I would no longer say the score. Here I confess, that was a lie, and here I am to say again, strike two. It is as it is in baseball. Three strikes? You're out._

**End of Act I. I hope you enjoyed! Leave nice comments please, flames are welcome just as much though. Any suggestions? That's what the box is there for!**

**Also! Thank my beta reader? CelestialXChaos, thankyouverymucha!**

**~Hugs and Kisses, JuniperScaymoore.**

**B/N: **Reviews for JScay?

I'll give out watermelons! =)


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